Investigator reveals eerie detail from search of Golden State Killer suspect's home

Investigator reveals eerie detail from search of Golden State Killer suspect's home

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Updated: 5:34 PM EDT May 25, 2018

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WEBVTT HEARING IS EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT. MIKE: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SEARCH UNREST -- ARREST WARRANTS IN THE CASE AND WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT IS IN THE WARRANT. THIS IS A CASE THAT WILL TAKE CENTER STAGE ONCE THE COURTROOM OPENS AT 8L:30 -- 8:30. THE FOCUS IS ON -- THIS COMES A WEEK AFTER NEW MURDER CHARGES WERE FILED ON JOSEPH DEANGELO AND A WEEK AFTER DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S MET TO DISCUSS WHERE AND WHEN AND WHO WILL TRY WHICH CASES AGAINST DEANGELO. THERE HAS BEEN NO DECISIONS MADE ON THE BIGGER PICTURE OF THIS, BUT FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THIS MORNING AND THE ISSUE OF SEARCH WARRANTS. DEANGELO’S ATTORNEY IS EXPECTED TO ARGUE UNSEALING THOSE SEARCH WARRANTS COULD POTENTIALLY TAINT OF FUTURE JURY PULL -- POOL AND MAKE IT HARD TO GET A FAIR TRIAL. PROSECUTORS HAVE SAID TO NOT OBJECT TO THE UNSEALING OF THE WARRANTS, BUT THINK IT SHOULD BE A DIFFERENT JUDGE THAT MAKES THE DECISION.

Investigator reveals eerie detail from search of Golden State Killer suspect's home

So far, the items found inside the Citrus Heights home of Joseph DeAngelo have remained a closely guarded secret. But one investigator who saw the scene just dropped an eerie detail about the Golden State Killer suspect.

Paul Holes, a cold case investigator for the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office, said on the popular true crime podcast "My Favorite Murder" that an oddly placed towel "left the biggest impression" on him.

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When the Golden State Killer escalated to attacking couples, he was known to separate husbands from wives. He would force the woman from her bedroom to the living room and bind her there. Once in the living room, he would sometimes turn on the TV, flick off the sound and drape a towel over the screen to provide a faint glow in which to see his victim.

After DeAngelo's arrest on April 24, Holes was part of a team of investigators who gained access to his home. He immediately saw an echo of the television signature in DeAngelo's room.

"He has a computer there, and he's got a towel over the monitor," Holes said on the podcast. "And I'm looking at that going, 'Is that just a dust cover, or is he reminiscing?' He wants a glow. Is he pulling out any of those souvenirs and replicating the glowing environment from back in the 1970s?"

The Golden State Killer took dozens of items from his victims — the "souvenirs" Holes references — including customized jewelry, keys and single earrings. The majority of the rapes occurred in the Sacramento area, earning the suspect the nickname of "East Area Rapist." Further rapes, and eventually homicides, were linked to the same man as he prowled across the state, from Danville to Goleta.

Police allege DeAngelo committed 12 murders, 45 rapes and more than 150 break-ins from 1976 to 1986. DeAngelo has been charged with two murders in Sacramento County and four in Santa Barbara County. Prosecutors in Ventura and Orange counties are also looking into filing additional charges.

"I think it will eventually go to trial, but don't expect that trial to happen any time soon," Holes said on the podcast. "I think the trial is probably going to be five years or more out. It takes a long time to get a case, especially of this magnitude, to trial."

DeAngelo has appeared in court several times since his arrest. The most recent hearing, on May 14, was to address a motion by several media outlets, including The Chronicle, to have arrest and search warrants released. DeAngelo's defense is seeking to keep them sealed. Among the documents they hope to keep out of the public eye is an inventory of what was found in his home. The hearing will be taken up again on May 29.

Unlike his first court appearance, when he entered in a wheelchair, DeAngelo walked into the May 14 hearing. On the podcast, Holes reacted strongly to how DeAngelo has behaved since his arrest.

"That was just a bunch of b.s.," Holes said. "That's where, in many ways, he's trying to portray himself as the Golden State Killer back in the day as a master criminal mind. And then he's doing a wimpy wheelchair thing? At this point, he just needs to man up. He needs to basically take accountability for these crimes. Tell us everything."

"During surveillance, the guys watching him were saying, 'This guy is not walking around like a 72-year-old man.' He's like a 50-year-old man, like me," Holes added. "He's moving around. He's on his motorcycle. He's going at high rates of speed on his motorcycle on the freeway. He's basically just showing he's a physically capable individual."